M24.00 — Loose body in unspecified joint
Is M24.00 billable?
Yes, but M24.00 is an unspecified code. M24.00 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, M24.00 is an unspecified or catch-all code. Payers apply additional scrutiny to unspecified codes and many deny them when the medical record supports a more specific option, so check the documentation before selecting M24.00 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
More specific alternatives
M24.00 at a glance
| Code | M24.00 |
|---|---|
| Description | Loose body in unspecified joint |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does M24.00 group to?
M24.00 sits in MDC 08 and helps define the logic of 3 MS-DRGs (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.
- 564Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses with MCCmedical
- 565Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses with CCmedical
- 566Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses without CC/MCCmedical
How is M24.00 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to M24.00. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Loose › body › joint
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from M24
The conditions below can never be reported together with M24.00 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- current injury - see injury of joint by body region
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 13
The conditions below are not part of M24.00, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M24.00 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- arthropathic psoriasis (L40.5-)
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- compartment syndrome (traumatic) (T79.A-)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from M20-M25
The conditions below are not part of M24.00, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M24.00 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- joints of the spine (M40-M54)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from M24
The conditions below are not part of M24.00, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M24.00 and the excluded code may both be reported.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from M24.0
The conditions below are not part of M24.00, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M24.00 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- loose body in knee (M23.4)
How long has M24.00 existed?
M24.00 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.